I read Dr. Jauhar's books out of order...See my comments on Doctored here. This book tells of the medical internship and residency that put him on the path. It is mostly a painful memoir...the internship year is a brutal and mostly horrible experience. Managing tons of patients that you don't really know while learning the basics of medicine is a LOT of pressure. Working 36 hours straight and over 100 hours a week doesn't lend itself to a healthy lifestyle. Some of the stories here will worry you. I think we all want to believe the system is good and our care is excellent but sometimes that may not be true. Jauhar tells of a back injury and depression brought on by the crushing responsibility. The doubts about going into medicine and his future are sometimes difficult to read. I assume everyone who puts the amount of work it takes into becoming a doctor is SURE of their decision. But really, doctors are just people like the rest of us. Plagued with doubt and hoping for the best. By the second year, when he is a resident, things are much better. By the time he is ready for a fellowship, he has decided that he made the right choice and medicine is where he belongs.
Of course I read his second book that focuses on doubt again but I'm not going to focus on that here. This book ends on a high note and Jauhar's writing is strong. Also, it was fun to hear that he is a graduate of Washington University Medical School.
No comments:
Post a Comment